


The Reunion

by Chromite



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon), Steven Universe Future (Cartoon)
Genre: Decisions, mention of the Diamonds, mutual talking about emotions, the need to talk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-28
Updated: 2020-01-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:07:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22454728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chromite/pseuds/Chromite
Summary: Steven gets a surprise one day when Spinel drops in on him on Earth, wanting to talk to someone.
Kudos: 15





	The Reunion

>Steven sat on his bed, gritting his teeth as he clutched the game controller tightly. With the others out of the house to attend to Little Homeschool, and no particular desire to repeat the incident with his plants, Steven had thrown himself into playing complex games to distract him from his own problems. Currently, he was working on defeating a particularly difficult boss, one he suspected meant he was nearing the end of this particular game.   
>Mid fight, Steven heard the warp pad downstairs flare to life, distracting him for enough of a moment, he took a heavy hit he hadn't wanted to. He grumbled under his breath as he tried to salvage the fight. "Probably just Amethyst or Pearl back to get something."   
>Then he heard an all too familiar voice calling out in an uncertain tone from downstairs. "Steven? G-garnet? Ameth-thyst? P-Pearl? Is anyone h-home?!" A chill went through Steven's form as he paused the game and thought to himself. "Is that Spinel? I thought she and the Diamonds were still getting along?" he sighed before he called out a response. "I'll be down in a moment!"  
>Downstairs, Spinel let out a little sigh of relief that someone was home. "O-okay." She wrung her hands together nervously. She had hoped there would be more than Steven home when she came here. Perhaps the others were in the temple? Still, she was here, she needed to talk to someone, and while she still deeply regretted how much she had messed up before, she knew Steven would listen, or she hoped he would at least.  
>Steven walked carefully down the stairs. As soon as he had sight of the living room, he realized he really had heard Spinel, she really was here. "Oh boy, this is going to be awkward. I haven't visited the Diamonds since she went to live with them, and I haven't exactly kept in contact that much either outside brief communications to see if they were still trying to change." he thought to himself.   
>Swallowing hard, Steven looked directly at Spinel as he reached the bottom of the stairs. "H-hey, it's good to see you again Spinel! What brings you to Earth?"  
>Spinel fidgets in place for a moment. "W-well, I...uh I just...I wanted to talk to you. About...the Diamonds."  
>Steven's body tenses up a little at the mention of the Diamonds, questions running through his mind. "What did they do now? Are they slipping back into their old ways? Have they been mistreating gems? Have they mistreated Spinel?" Instead of letting loose the torrent of questions he wants to ask, he focuses on the one that he thinks will make Spinel feel the most welcome to talk. "Would you like to get comfortable somewhere and talk about it?"  
>Spinel nods her head. "Yeah...I'd like that."  
>"Come on, we'll head up to my room. There's a bed up there, it'll be a little more private than talking on the living room couch."  
>Spinel hesitates for a moment before nodding in agreement. Steven smiles briefly at her before going back up the stairs. He looks over at his game one more time before shutting it all off. He doesn't want Spinel feeling like she interrupted something, especially if something bad is going on on Homeworld.   
>It takes Spinel a few moments to get up the stairs, but she eventually peeks her head past the stairs. To her relief, Steven is sitting on the bed, waiting for her. Her feet squeak a little as she makes her way to the bed and sits next to him.  
>After Spinel gets comfortable Steven looks over at her. "Okay, so what did you want to talk about related to the Diamonds? They aren't hurting you, are they?"  
>"No, it's nothing like that!" Spinel speaks quickly, a little louder than she had intended. She covers her mouth for a moment, collecting herself a little before she continues. "It's just...they're a lot. I know they care about me, but sometimes...it feels like they only keep me around because I...because I was..."  
>"Because you were HERS." Steven finishes for Spinel, his teeth grinding together. "I know that feeling."  
>"Yeah...but it's not just that. I feel like, like they also want a play mate? Like I HAVE to entertain them. And we have fun, we really do, but...sometimes I don't feel like playing. And they pretend like it's fine when I say I need a break, but...I can see the hurt expressions that flash on their face. I can tell they're disappointed. It makes me feel like I can't tell them how I really feel! Like I can't tell them that I WANT to do different things sometimes! I...I spent so much time trying to make Pink happy, so much time alone that...I don't know what I really want."  
>Spinel's words resonated with Steven. He let out a slight chuckle, which made Spinel look at him angrily. "It's not funny!"  
>"S-sorry, I'm not laughing at you. It's just, I get it." Steven stopped laughing, his smile fading away. "I understand what it's like...to live in her shadow. To be compared to her. To be expected to live up to certain expectations. I know exactly what it's like...not knowing what you really want to do." Steven started to fidget, his hands clasped together tightly, a slight pink glow around them.  
>Spinel looked at him in disbelief. "You...you do? But...you're the savior of the galaxy! I thought you had everything figured out, that you..." realization dawned on Spinel. "Oh...that's the problem, isn't it? You had to save everyone and now..."  
>"It feels like nothing else I do will ever measure up to it." Steven sighs before looking over at Spinel. "Sorry, this was suppose to be about you, and I made it about me."  
>"It's okay. I...I hate that you're going through this, but it's also a bit calming? That even you've got things you're struggling with and trying to figure out? It makes me feel like...like this isn't so abnormal? Sorry, that's a terrible thing to say."  
>Steven smiles a bit. "I guess it would be reassuring to know a "hero" has struggles like this, wouldn't it?" Steven pauses for a moment before he continues. "So...what are we going to do about this?"  
>"To start I think...I want to stay on Earth for a while. Explore things, see what there is to discover...maybe find some new interests? What...what do you think?"  
>"I think that sounds perfect." Steven spoke. A smile spread across his face as an idea came to him. "Would you...would you mind if I came with you?"  
>Spinel's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?! You...you aren't too busy? You wouldn't mind? I mean, we...didn't exactly part on the best of terms."  
>"No better way to get on better terms than to spend time with each other, right?" Steven's smile dropped for a moment, before it returned. "Besides, I've been meaning to explore more of the world myself now that I'm older. Now's the perfect time to do it. It'll be fun, we'll learn about ourselves together!" Then Steven toned it down a little. "But only if you want to. If you'd rather be alone, I'll respect your choice."   
>Spinel didn't have to think about it. She coiled her arms around Steven with a wide grin on her face. "I'd be overjoyed to have you with me!" She giggled as tears of happiness ran down her cheeks. "I'm...I'm happy I get another chance to...to be your friend."   
>"I'm happy too. We can leave...as soon as one of the Gems comes back." Steven lets out a little sigh. "I do need to tell them what I'll be doing, so they don't worry. You...you should probably tell the Diamonds where you are too if you haven't already, so they don't worry about you."  
>Spinel flinched. She didn't like the idea of telling the Diamonds she was on Earth to discover who she was, and she didn't like waiting around for one of the Crystal Gems to come back. She wanted to go now, to start her journey of self-discovery. Still, she did want Steven with her so she wouldn't be alone. She had had enough loneliness to last her a lifetime, and she knew he was right. If she didn't tell the Diamonds she was okay, they'd come to Earth looking for her sooner or later.   
>"Okay, I'll tell them. Can...can I borrow a communicator?"   
>"Sure." Steven dug through a dresser drawer for a moment before he pulled out a communicator. He looks over at Spinel. "Would you like me next to you when you tell them?"  
>"No...I want to do this myself. I NEED to do this myself. I owe it to myself and to them to be honest."  
>Steven nodded, then flinched slightly as he heard the warp pad activate downstairs once more. "Sounds like it's time for me to talk to someone too. Good luck."  
>"Good luck to you too." Spinel smiled, before focusing on turning the communicator to activate it.   
>Spinel proceeded to inform the Diamonds of where she was and what she intended to do. She could see the pained expressions on their faces, White's especially, but in the end they nodded and told her to take her time, to stay safe, and that she was welcome to come back when she felt like she was ready.  
>Meanwhile, Steven was met with the sight of Garnet downstairs. "I know what you plan to do. I'll tell the others when they get home. Stay safe Steven, stay close to Spinel. You two are going to need each other if you're to get the most out of this journey of yours."  
>"Thanks Garnet. I promise, I'll be back...someday. I promise I'll stay safe."   
>With their respective guardians informed of their plans, Steven and Spinel stepped onto the warp pad and warped to a random spot on Earth to begin their journey of self discovery. Garnet simply looked at the pad for a moment before whispering out. "Good luck." Even she couldn't see what the future held for certain. But she knew having Steven spend time with Spinel away from the worries of life was the best chance of him opening up about the things that bothered him. "I wish you had talked to us...but at least you'll get what you need from this."

**Author's Note:**

> Just a short "what if" story. I think the next time we see Spinel, she'll be needing to talk to someone, and Steven himself needs someone he can open up to, so why not have them help each other?


End file.
